UN calls on Iran to ‘cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity’ 21 November 2024 News The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a resolution yesterday expressing “serious concern” at “ongoing severe limitations and increasing restrictions on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief” in Iran. The resolution, which was passed by 77 votes to 28, with 66 abstentions, names Christians, and “particularly converts from Islam”, among the recognised and unrecognised religious minorities suffering human rights violations including “increased harassment, intimidation, persecution, arbitrary arrest, detention and incitement to hatred that leads to violence”. It calls on Iran to “cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity, to release all religious practitioners imprisoned for their membership in or activities on behalf of a minority religious group … and to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, including the freedom to have, to change or to adopt a religion or belief of their choice, in accordance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”. It also calls on Iran to “eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination on the basis of thought, conscience, religion or belief”, including the “restrictions contained” in the amended Articles 499 and 500 of the penal code, which have been used to convict several Christians since they were introduced in 2021, and which the resolution says have “significantly escalated discrimination and violence” towards members of religious minorities, as well as denial of employment and restrictions on access to education. The resolution notes the restrictions placed “on the establishment of places of worship”, as highlighted in Article18’s Place2Worship campaign, and demands an end to “ongoing systemic impunity for those who commit crimes against persons belonging to recognised and unrecognised religious minorities”. Who said what? The representatives of Canada, Australia, the United States and Israel spoke out in condemnation of Iran’s restriction on freedom of religion or belief during the debate ahead of and after the vote, while the representatives of Brazil, Ghana and the UK specifically raised the plight of Baha’is. However, the Ghanaian representative explained that her country had abstained from voting on the basis of the “assurances” given by Iran of the “progress” being made with regard to human rights and “our expectation that in due time, those assurances will translate into tangible protection for all segments of the Iranian society”. Several countries spoke in support of Iran and against “politicised” country-specific resolutions, including the representatives of North Korea, Russia, Syria, Pakistan, Venezuela, Nicaragua, China, Belarus and Cuba, as well as Iran’s own representative. However, the Australian representative defended the resolution as being “evidence-based” and “aim[ing] to reflect the current human rights situation in Iran, without prejudice” … “by drawing heavily from independent and credible reports by the Special Rapporteur on situation of human rights in Iran, the UN Secretary General and the independent international fact-finding mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran”. “Country-specific resolutions in this committee do not impede sovereignty,” he said. “No country is above fair scrutiny of its human rights obligations, and no country, including my own, has a perfect human rights record. “Our commitments, as outlined in the UN Charter, include achieving international cooperation in solving international problems, including to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction. We can only achieve this through transparency, openness and accountability.” He called on Iran to grant access to Iran to the Special Rapporteur on Iran and the fact-finding mission “to further support their mandates, provide transparency, and facilitate accountability on human rights concerns”. Earlier this month, the new Special Rapporteur, Mai Sato, pledged to “examine” the impact of Iran’s restrictions on religious freedom as part of an “intersectional” approach to rights violations in the country.
Iran’s exiled Crown Prince highlights ‘widespread and rampant persecution’ of Christians 20 November 2024 News The exiled son of the former Shah of Iran has highlighted the “widespread and rampant persecution” of Christians and other religious minorities in the Islamic Republic. In a post on X yesterday, Reza Pahlavi said his country was “once a bastion of religious liberty. But that changed with the Islamic Revolution of 1979”. Iran was once a bastion of religious liberty. But that changed with the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Alongside Jews and Baha’is, Iranian Christians immediately began to face widespread and rampant persecution. Christian and Catholic leaders were killed, detained, or forced to… https://t.co/V25i2NGaqh — Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) November 19, 2024 “Alongside Jews and Baha’is, Iranian Christians immediately began to face widespread and rampant persecution,” he said. “Christian and Catholic leaders were killed, detained, or forced to flee the country… “Today the persecution continues and Iranian Christians, especially Christian converts, are deprived of even the most basic rights, including access to churches. “Christians are routinely imprisoned for their beliefs, facing absurd charges of ‘acts against national security’ and ‘collaboration and espionage for enemy states’.” “Despite these daunting challenges”, Pahlavi said the Christian community “remains resilient”, and their “faith, courage, and hope serve as a testament to the enduring power of belief in the face of oppression”. However, he said “their struggle is far from over, and they need the support of the global Christian community more than ever”. Pahlavi concluded by saying there was “hope” that the fall of the Islamic Republic would “pave the way for a new era of religious freedom in Iran and across the Middle East”. “A free and democratic Iran will once again embrace the diversity of faiths and beliefs that have been a part of our nation’s rich history for millennia,” he said. “Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, and Muslims can once again live together in harmony, free to practice their religions without fear of persecution.” Pahlavi’s post followed his interview with Catholic news agency EWTN, in which he spoke of the “loss of opportunities” and “discrimination” that religious minorities including Christians face in Iran, which has led many to flee the country, and called for the establishment of a secular democracy that would ensure the separation of religion from State. For this to be achieved, he said there was not only a need for a return to the “maximum pressure [on the regime]” of President Trump’s first term in office, but also for “maximum support” for the Iranian people, which he said he believed could lead to a change similar to that seen with the fall of the Soviet Union or of apartheid in South Africa. You can watch the full interview here.
‘Propagating Christianity’ among charges against convert sentenced to 10 years in prison 18 November 2024 News Photo: Mohabat News A Christian convert has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including engaging in “propaganda” by “propagating Christianity”, an Iranian Christian news site has reported. The convert, Toomaj Aryan-Kia, was also convicted of “collaborating” with the “hostile governments” of Israel, the UK and the US, and of membership in “anti-regime groups”, according to Mohabat News. The charges were pronounced on 5 November at the 3rd Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, by Judge Mostafa Narimani, who also banned Toomaj from membership of any group for two years after his release. According to the report, which Article18 has not yet been able to independently verify, Toomaj has appealed against the sentence, although his request for a retrial was denied. Toomaj was reportedly first arrested in October 2022, when his home was searched by plainclothes intelligence agents who confiscated personal items including Bibles. He is said to have been held in solitary confinement for the next 28 days, before being transferred to the general ward of Karaj Prison for a further 40 days. Toomaj was then released on bail equivalent to $75,000. Toomaj is at least the sixth Christian in 2024 to receive a prison sentence of at least 10 years, in what appears a growing trend. In February, Armenian Christian Hakop Gochumyan and three others received 10-year sentences, while in May Christian convert Yasin Mousavi received a 15-year sentence as part of a group of Christians sentenced to a combined 45 years in prison.
New rapporteur pledges to ‘examine’ impact of Iran’s religious freedom restrictions 8 November 2024 News The new UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has pledged to “examine” the impact of Iran’s restrictions on religious freedom as part of an “intersectional” approach to rights violations. In her first address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Mai Sato acknowledged that Iran’s religious minorities “face systematic discrimination”, including “arbitrary detention, unfair trial, disproportionate application of the death penalty”, and “restrictions on their cultural practices, language rights and religious freedom”. The rapporteur promised to address these issues further in a future report, by examining “the impact of laws, policies [and] customs on specific groups”, including different religions. Dr Sato called on civil-society actors and UN member states to support her, as she introduced her first report, which referenced the work of her predecessor, Javaid Rehman, including in highlighting the “persecution of religious and ethnic minorities”, and set out her three priorities: the right to life; a gendered perspective and intersectional approach; and data transparency and the right to truth. Dr Sato said “the Iranian people continue to experience reprisals and intimidation for exercising their freedom of expression and for reporting human rights violations”. Article18 reported earlier this year how one imprisoned Christian convert, Laleh Saati, and her mother were both threatened with new court proceedings due to the publicity her case had received. Laleh was later reportedly denied parole because she had refused to record a forced confession. Dr Sato also highlighted the denial of medical care in prisons, which she said “should not be used to punish and silence prisoners”. Another Christian prisoner of conscience, 60-year-old Mina Khajavi, has been denied the medical care she requires during her nearly 300 days in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Several UN member states highlighted Iran’s violations of religious freedom in their responses to the rapporteur’s address, including the representatives of the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Israel, Ireland, Australia and the Czech Republic. The Irish representative urged Iran to “reform articles 499 and 500 of the penal code to ensure that the rights to freedom of expression and religion and belief are fully guaranteed, in line with international law and standards”. The amended Article 500 has been used to convict over a dozen Christians since its introduction in February 2021. The Irish representative also specifically highlighted the oppression of members of the Baha’i Faith, as did the representatives from the UK and Australia. The Canadian representative said his country “deplored” the “intensified targeting” of religious minorities, while the Israeli representative said the systematic discrimination and violence they faced was “disheartening and should worry us all”.
State of the Golden Door 29 October 2024 Reports Over five times as many Iranian Christian refugees were resettled in the United States last year than in 2020, according to a new report, but there are fears the trend may only be temporary. Two hundred and seventy-eight Iranian Christians were resettled in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on 30 September, compared to just 54 in 2020, when refugee resettlement fell to an historic low, according to the ‘State of the Golden Door’ report by World Relief and Open Doors. However, the report authors warn there is no guarantee the trend will continue, with the Biden-Harris administration “significantly reducing due process protections” for those seeking asylum over the past year, while Donald Trump has vowed to suspend resettlement entirely “on day one” if re-elected. The report, released on 14 October, is the third in a series, following previous reports in 2020 and 2023 which were both titled ‘Closed Doors’ and highlighted the dramatic reduction in resettlement of refugees from countries in which Christians are most persecuted, including Iran. The 2020 report found there had been a 97% drop in the resettlement of Iranian Christian refugees between 2015 and 2020, while last year’s report found the situation had only slightly improved and was still 95% fewer than in 2016. This year’s report has a more “neutral” title, the authors say, to “celebrate the return to our country’s historic leadership in offering refuge to the persecuted”, while acknowledging that “serious concerns” remain that could see the progress “quickly undone”. And despite the “dramatic increase” in the resettlement of Christian refugees from countries including Iran, the numbers resettled are still “dramatically below the numbers resettled in 2016 and prior years”. The report cites the introduction of the Welcome Corps refugee sponsorship programme as one of the reasons for the increase, while acknowledging that there remain “some ongoing challenges” to the process, “particularly in that refugees in some host countries that happen to host large numbers of persecuted Christians, such as Türkiye, are ineligible for sponsorship due to limited US governmental ability to interview and process refugees in these countries”. One of the case studies included in the report is of an Iranian woman referred to as “Souzan”, who was finally resettled last year after 12 years as a refugee in Indonesia. “As religious persecution around the world rises, more Christians than ever before are facing religious persecution with scant hope of resettlement if they flee,” the report states The authors say they chose to release the report in the run up to the US presidential election, not as “an endorsement or a denunciation of any political party or candidate” but “to remind the US church that our country’s refugee and asylum policies impact their brothers and sisters around the world persecuted for their faith in Jesus, and to give candidates, as they angle for Christians’ votes, the opportunity and incentive to commit to refugee resettlement and asylum policies that prioritize the wellbeing of persecuted Christians”.
US resettlement of Iranian Christian refugees increases, but concerns remain 23 October 2024 News Over five times as many Iranian Christian refugees were resettled in the United States last year than in 2020, according to a new report, but there are fears the trend may only be temporary. Two hundred and seventy-eight Iranian Christians were resettled in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on 30 September, compared to just 54 in 2020, when refugee resettlement fell to an historic low, according to the ‘State of the Golden Door’ report by World Relief and Open Doors. However, the report authors warn there is no guarantee the trend will continue, with the Biden-Harris administration “significantly reducing due process protections” for those seeking asylum over the past year, while Donald Trump has vowed to suspend resettlement entirely “on day one” if re-elected. The report, released on 14 October, is the third in a series, following previous reports in 2020 and 2023 which were both titled ‘Closed Doors’ and highlighted the dramatic reduction in resettlement of refugees from countries in which Christians are most persecuted, including Iran. The 2020 report found there had been a 97% drop in the resettlement of Iranian Christian refugees between 2015 and 2020, while last year’s report found the situation had only slightly improved and was still 95% fewer than in 2016. This year’s report has a more “neutral” title, the authors say, to “celebrate the return to our country’s historic leadership in offering refuge to the persecuted”, while acknowledging that “serious concerns” remain that could see the progress “quickly undone”. And despite the “dramatic increase” in the resettlement of Christian refugees from countries including Iran, the numbers resettled are still “dramatically below the numbers resettled in 2016 and prior years”. The report cites the introduction of the Welcome Corps refugee sponsorship programme as one of the reasons for the increase, while acknowledging that there remain “some ongoing challenges” to the process, “particularly in that refugees in some host countries that happen to host large numbers of persecuted Christians, such as Türkiye, are ineligible for sponsorship due to limited US governmental ability to interview and process refugees in these countries”. One of the case studies included in the report is of an Iranian woman referred to as “Souzan”, who was finally resettled last year after 12 years as a refugee in Indonesia. “As religious persecution around the world rises, more Christians than ever before are facing religious persecution with scant hope of resettlement if they flee,” the report states The authors say they chose to release the report in the run up to the US presidential election, not as “an endorsement or a denunciation of any political party or candidate” but “to remind the US church that our country’s refugee and asylum policies impact their brothers and sisters around the world persecuted for their faith in Jesus, and to give candidates, as they angle for Christians’ votes, the opportunity and incentive to commit to refugee resettlement and asylum policies that prioritize the wellbeing of persecuted Christians”. You can read the full report here.
Christian converts incommunicado month after re-arrest 17 October 2024 News Left to right: Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam. Three Christian converts arrested in the northern Iranian city of Nowshahr last month remain in detention in an unknown location nearly a month after their arrest. Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri, and Gholam Eshaghi, who were previously arrested at Christmas last year and were already facing charges relating to their Christian faith, were arrested on 23 and 24 September by intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). They are believed to have been taken to Sari, the provincial capital, which is three hours’ drive from Nowshahr, but their families have not heard from them since their arrest, while Article18 understands they have been denied access to a lawyer. The three were among 20 Christians first arrested by armed agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in Nowshahr and nearby Chalus in coordinated raids on their homes in the early hours of the morning after Christmas, when the agents filmed themselves as they confiscated personal items including identity papers, Bibles and other Christian literature. Some of the Christians were released later that day, after questioning, but at least nine, including Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam, were transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Sari, where they were interrogated regarding their faith and peaceful Christian activities. Article18 understands that on the morning of their arrest, the investigator of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Nowshahr briefly met with the detained Christians but did not officially notify them of any charges they may be facing. In the interrogations that followed, the detained Christians were verbally accused of “establishing house-churches”, “propagating Christianity” and following a “religion disturbing to the holy religion of Islam”, before being released on bail after between two and five weeks’ detention. Additionally, the Christians were prohibited from leaving Iran for the next six months. In May, several family members of the arrested Christians were summoned for prolonged interrogations, during which they were threatened, insulted and intimidated. At least one female family member was reportedly beaten by her male interrogator. According to Article18’s sources, the interrogators attempted to force the families of the accused Christians to confess to having had contact with foreign countries or Christian organisations abroad. On 27 August, 14 of the Christians, including Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam, were summoned to the 1st Branch of the Prosecutor’s Office of the General and Revolutionary Court of Nowshahr to present their last defence against charges of “collaborating with hostile foreign countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran and insulting to the religion of Islam and its sanctities through the press”. It was as the Christians awaited the outcome of their trial that Jahangir Alikhani and Hamed were arrested by IRGC agents, who violently searched their homes, overturning sofas, before taking the Christians away to an unknown location. Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, said it was clear from the wording of the charges that the Christians were being tried under the amended Article 500 of the penal code, which has been labelled a “full-on attack on religious freedom”. “The Islamic Republic blatantly violates the international human rights standards to which it is a signatory,” Mr Borji said. “The amended articles of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code (IPC) are used to criminalise peaceful religious practices through vague interpretations, and they must be repealed. These laws have been stretched to suppress minorities, with judicial and intelligence institutions collaborating to punish any expression of religious freedom under the pretence of legality.”
Yasser Akbari 9 October 2024 Case Studies Case referenced by Article18, The Mirror, Church in Chains, Premier Christian News, Voice of the Martyrs, Barnabas Aid Summary Mehdi Akbari, who is known as Yasser, was given a 10-year prison sentence in October 2020 for “acting against national security by forming a house-church”. He was released from prison in September 2024 after his sentence was reduced to four years and five months. In total, Yasser spent four years and nine months in prison. Case in full Yasser was first arrested on 30 January 2019 as part of a set of coordinated raids by intelligence agents on the homes of Christian converts in the Ariashahr area of Tehran. Three other Christians, Simin Soheili, Mehdi Rokhparvar and Fatemeh Sharifi, were also arrested, and all four were transferred to Ward 2A of Evin Prison, where they were placed in solitary confinement and interrogated. On 14 February 2019, Simin was released on bail of 800 million tomans ($62,500), having been warned she could face a 10-year prison sentence for “disturbing public order, propagating Christianity and connecting with foreign entities”. She was severely traumatised by her experiences. The others were released on 18 March 2019 on the same bail amount. They were tried on 16 June 2020 at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on charges of “acting against national security” and “forming an illegal evangelical Christian group” – under Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code, relating to organisation of groups “hostile” to the regime. The judge, Mohammad Moghiseh – who has earned the nickname the “Judge of Death” for his harsh treatment of prisoners of conscience – spoke obscenely to the Christians and would not listen to their defence, only citing the report of the intelligence agent. He also accused them of “widespread association with missionary groups, as well as evangelical Christian groups outside the country – in Russia, Georgia, Turkey, and Armenia”. He then increased their bail to 7 billion tomans ($220,000), saying: “Your actions are worthy of death! Who set this low bail amount for you, so you could be free to roam about on the streets?” The two women were freed on bail, but the men were transferred to Evin Prison and their sentences were communicated to them there on 17 October 2020. Yasser, Simin and Fatemeh were given 10-year sentences, and Mehdi five. On 28 December 2021, Yasser, who was a single parent, was informed that his only son, 18-year-old Amir Ali, who had underlying health issues, had passed away at the care facility where he had been living since his father’s imprisonment. Yasser was given five days’ leave from 1 January 2022, but by that time his son’s funeral had already taken place. His leave was later extended to 10 days, but he was forced to return to Tehran’s Evin Prison on 12 January 2022. On 29 September 2024, Yasser was released from prison after his sentence was reduced to four years and five months by Branch 21 of the Tehran appeal court. Yasser had already spent four years and nine months in prison, so he was released that same afternoon and met outside the prison by his family and also Mehdi Rokhparvar, who had been released from his own prison term a year prior. During his nearly five years in prison, Yasser applied for a retrial with the Supreme Court on five occasions. His first four applications were rejected, but his final application, lodged in April 2024, was accepted, and Branch 39 of the Supreme Court ruled that the length of his sentence should be reviewed, leading ultimately to the reduction of his sentence and his release. Recommendations Article18 requests that the international community and Christians worldwide: Call for the immediate release of all Christians detained on charges related to the peaceful practice of their faith. Call for the swift application of due process in the cases of all who are detained and/or awaiting charges, trials, sentences or appeal hearings on account of their Christian faith and activities in Iran. Encourage Western countries to prioritise human rights in negotiations with Iran, especially freedom of religion or belief, and urge the government of Iran to recognise all minority-faith adherents, including converts to Christianity, as full citizens before the law, enjoying their full human rights. Call the international community to hold the Iranian government accountable for failing to uphold its international and constitutional commitments to protect the freedom of Christians in its territories. Closing churches, appropriating church property, arresting church leaders and threatening churchgoers are violations of freedom of religion or belief, as prescribed in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, without reservation, and therefore legally bound to uphold. Meanwhile, Article 13 of Iran’s Constitution states that Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are recognised religious minorities, who are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies. And Article 23 says “investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no-one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief”. Background In July 2023, in a letter smuggled out of prison, Yasser wrote about his grief at the loss of his only son and his struggle to understand the reason for his imprisonment. In the letter, Yasser said he carried his grief “like a suppressed cry and an unexpressed sorrow”. He was also brutally honest about the difficulties he had faced since his arrest, such as being detained for a month in solitary confinement, denied access to a lawyer, and convicted in a five-minute sham trial. The Christian convert said that even after three years in Tehran’s Evin Prison, he was still unable to understand how his membership of a house-church could have been viewed as an “action against national security”. “Is worshipping God a crime?” he asked. “When I was accused of ‘action against the country’s security’, I did not have a lawyer to ask him about the meaning of this accusation and what crimes are included in the definition.” Yasser said that before he was taken to the Revolutionary Court, he had thought “a fair judge, well aware of what constitutes a crime, especially the serious crime I was accused of, would examine the evidence presented before him and realise I have only worshipped God according to my Christian faith, permissible under Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, and therefore acquit me of any crime and save me from prison. But what an illusion that was!” Yasser described his court hearing as “hundreds of times worse than the interrogations”, explaining: “If the interrogators tried to impose one crime on me, in this court the judge attributed many more crimes to me that beforehand I could never have imagined. “He labelled Christianity a ‘false sect’, of which he said I was a follower. He expanded the boundaries of criminalisation against me so ignorantly that he even mistakenly seemed to consider Jews and Christians as followers of the same religion. He declared me a follower of ‘the deviant religion of Christianity’, and also ‘a Jewish person affiliated to Israel’. “Now that I have spent three years in prison, I still do not know how I was able to act against Iran’s national security by being a follower of Christ. “Having no lawyer, I still don’t know how to defend myself within the framework of the law, considering what they did to me. I don’t know what to say if someone asked me how I acted against national security. I only know that I am, and will remain, a Christian, and that I will preach about the light of God and kingdom of heaven to everyone.” Yasser said his experiences tormented his soul as well as his body, saying: “If a prisoner loses his faith, he will surely be crushed. When the night drags its black mantle over the prison, and the sadness sinks in with the sunset, the beats of the seconds of the clock hit like a whip in my mind, and I begin to wonder: I wonder if this faith of mine is worth enduring such pressures. “Time and time again, I have found myself surrounded with these thoughts, and each time I have answered firmly: ‘Yes, of course it is worth it.’” Yasser said he was shocked when the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court both confirmed the verdict against him, and said he hoped his imprisonment may at least make a difference to others. “If my presence within these prison walls means that I would be the last prisoner of conscience, and causes other religious minorities of my country to be able to freely worship God according to their own faiths, as stipulated in Article 13 of the Constitution, then not only do I have no complaints but I accept it with love,” he wrote. “Perhaps it is necessary for everyone to be made aware that, in my country, despite the laws and Constitution, they consider Christianity a ‘deviant faith’, and with no reason they consider worshipping God in this way to be a collusion with foreign governments, punishable by a judicial ruling.” “Yes, it may be necessary,” he concluded, “but what else should I do from behind these walls? I do not know. Perhaps the truth should be told without exaggeration, so that everyone hears.” Yasser also shared in his letter about his final moments with his son, writing: “When Amir-Ali saw me in handcuffs and prison clothes, he was reassured that I had not abandoned him, even in such conditions. It was as though my son had endured his painful illness for just a little longer so we might have one final chance to meet, albeit in prison clothes and in the presence of officers. “Due to the court order, I had to go back to my cell, but I consider the best moment of my life to be the last time I hugged my Amir-Ali. “Two months later, Amir-Ali passed away. I mourned his loss in prison, and bemoaned my sense of remorse for not being by his bedside in his last moments. The prison authorities did not agree to a short leave from prison for me to attend Amir-Ali’s burial. Only a few days afterwards was I sent on leave for 10 days.” A British-Iranian imprisoned alongside Yasser, Anoosheh Ashoori, described him as a “kind” and “fantastic human being”, whose “pain was in fact more severe than others” due to his son’s death. “Amir Ali had many medical issues, and [Yasser] was not allowed to go and visit him,” Anoosheh explained. “And even when his condition became critical, and he was there begging the authorities to allow him to go and visit his son in the hospital, they didn’t. “And after he passed away, it took quite a while before he was allowed to go to attend the funeral.” Yasser’s release came just five days after the release of another Iranian Christian who had been serving a 10-year term, pastor Anooshavan Avedian, who was acquitted by the same court of appeal. Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, commented: “We welcome the release both of Yasser and Anooshavan, for whom we have long campaigned and neither of whom should have spent even one day in prison. Both Yasser’s reduction of sentence and Anooshavan’s acquittal show clearly how arbitrary their sentences were in the first place, being questioned not only by independent lawyers but also now by the judges of Iran’s own Supreme Court, further demonstrating the baselessness of the accusations that have led these and other Christians to spend years of their lives behind bars. “We call now for the immediate release of the other at least 20 Christians still in prison only on account of their beliefs and the peaceful outworking of these beliefs, such as Armenian citizen Hakop Gochumyan, who is also serving a 10-year sentence only because he visited some churches and was in possession of a handful of Bibles. “Iran has for too long targeted Christians simply on account of their beliefs, while at the same time claiming on the world stage that ‘no-one is imprisoned for their beliefs’. The cases of Yasser, Anooshavan, Hakop and many others betray the falsehood of this claim. In reality, evangelical Christians and converts to Christianity, alongside other unrecognised religious groups, continue to be targeted only because of their beliefs. If the Islamic Republic of Iran really wants to build a reputation for being a place where no-one is imprisoned on account of their beliefs, it must immediately release all other religious prisoners of conscience, and fulfil its obligations as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 of which enshrines religious freedom, including the freedoms to change one’s beliefs and to share them with others.”
Iran’s Catholic archbishop chosen as one of Pope Francis’ new cardinals 8 October 2024 News Photo: Vatican Media Pope Francis has chosen the archbishop of the Catholic Church in Iran as one of his new cardinals. Fr Dominique Mathieu, who has led the Tehran-Isfahan archdiocese since 2021, will be one of 21 new cardinals appointed by the pope in December and the first ever to be based in Iran. The Tehran-Isfahan archdiocese is one of the smallest in the world, with just six parishes and an estimated 2,000-6,000 members, comprised almost entirely of ethnic Assyrians and Armenians, and expatriates. Fr Mathieu told AsiaNews he views the role of Catholics in Iran as being like “leaven in a country characterised by great human, social and spiritual ‘riches’, a country where religious worship can be a struggle, even if religious freedom is formally guaranteed”. He added: “When one cannot preach with the word, we preach with our lives and bear witness with our very lives to God’s love. I believe this is also what is expected from Christians.” The archbishop, who is from Belgium and speaks five languages, said his appointment could be seen as a “further sign for the Church, the people of God, of the incessant desire to weave and strengthen bonds with all peoples, in this case Iranians in general and their leaders in particular”. The 61-year-old described Iranians as “very welcoming” and said “everyone is interested in Iran because it is a country with many resources, not only natural but also intellectual. The country is not just chadors and beards, as often portrayed, erroneously, by the media in the West”. The pope said the appointment of cardinals from all around the world highlighted “the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on Earth”. Background At the time of his appointment as archbishop, Fr Mathieu said he was motivated by “keeping alive the historical Christian presence in Iran”. But in a nod towards the challenges he may face, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, in his commissioning speech, called on the archbishop to “speak with life before words” by “being salt in that land and offer[ing] the gentle light of the Gospel”, of which “no-one should be afraid”. Some Catholics have been among the many Christian converts arrested in recent years, though only one such case has been publicly reported: that of Anousheh Rezabakhsh, known as Veronica, and her son Soheil, known as Augustine, who were arrested in February 2017 in Orumiyeh, north-western Iran, and later sentenced to five years in prison for “acting against national security by conducting evangelistic activities”. “Catholic churches are closely monitored with surveillance cameras by the government and religious schools are limited in what they can teach,” CNA reported at the time of Fr Mathieu’s appointment as archbishop. A year later, an article by the Chaldean bishop of Orumiyeh, Thomas Meram, in which he spoke of the “many difficulties” faced by the Catholic community in Iran, elicited an angry response from the Iranian embassy to the Holy See. Fr Meram claimed Fr Dominique Mathieu had not been able to enter Iran, despite his appointment a year prior, and noted how a long-serving Italian nun, 75-year-old Sister Giuseppina Berti, had also been denied a renewal of her visa. In a strongly-worded response, the Iranian embassy demanded a rebuttal of the “completely false and unfounded” article, claiming the archbishop had entered Iran on 12 November 2021 and “now devotes himself to his activities”, and that Sister Berti’s residence permit “was renewed and she continues to live in the house of her congregation without any difficulty”. The embassy added that the claims made in the AsiaNews article “harm the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran”; that Christians “continue to enjoy the religious freedom to carry out their activities, worship in their churches and devote themselves to their programmes in accordance with the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran”; and that Christians “also have their own representatives in the Islamic parliament”. AsiaNews, while publishing the rebuttal as requested, commented: “We are happy that Mgr Mathieu and Sister Berti are in Iran and able to carry out their ministry. “We are, however, surprised by the tone of the reaction to an article that – in its essential part and in its title – simply gave an account of the life of the Chaldean Catholic community in Iran, describing its activities and mentioning concerns that its small size makes evident to all. “We dare to think that the fate of the good bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holy See has very little to do with an error in a paragraph of an article in AsiaNews.” Iran has had diplomatic relations with the Vatican for 70 years, and in the past Vatican spokespeople have been instrumental in securing the release of imprisoned Christians, including Mehdi Dibaj, who had been sentenced to death for apostasy and was killed shortly after his release, and Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh, who spent nearly nine months in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Hakop Gochumyan 7 October 2024 Case Studies Case referenced by Article18, USCIRF, Hostage Aid Worldwide, Asia News, Iran International, The Christian Post, Open Doors, National Catholic Register, Church in Chains, International Christian Concern, Hengaw, Premier Christian News, Human Rights Without Frontiers Summary Armenian citizen Hakop Gochumyan is serving a 10-year prison sentence in Evin Prison for “engaging in deviant proselytising activity that contradicts the sacred law of Islam” through alleged membership and leadership of “a network of evangelical Christianity”. He was arrested alongside his wife, an Iranian-Armenian, during a visit to Tehran in August 2023, and has remained detained ever since. Case in full Hakop Gochumyan was visiting Iran with his wife Elisa Shahverdian, who is Iranian-Armenian, and their two children when they were arrested on 15 August 2023 in Pardis, just outside Tehran. The couple and their children, who were aged seven and 10, were having dinner at a friend’s home, when a dozen plainclothes agents of the Ministry of Intelligence raided the property. The agents confiscated personal belongings, including some Christian books, and then took the Gochumyan family back to Elisa’s grandmother’s house, where they had been staying for the summer holidays. The agents searched this property as well, before taking Hakop and Elisa away to Evin Prison, leaving their children in the custody of an aunt. Hakop and Elisa were then placed in solitary confinement in the notorious Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, and subjected to intense psychological torture and back-to-back interrogation sessions, each lasting between two to five hours. Neither Hakop nor Elisa were informed of any official charges against them, in violation of Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran has ratified without reservation. After over two months in detention, Elisa was released on bail equivalent to $40,000 on 19 October 2023, after which she returned to Armenia to be reunited with her children, who had returned home a month earlier with a relative. Elisa’s bail had initially been set at $100,000, but her family protested that they could not afford the amount, and it was reduced by half. Speaking to Article18, Elisa said the intelligence agents had accused her of engaging in “illegal Christian activities”, but she said she didn’t know where the accusation stemmed from and that she and her husband had done nothing illegal, nor even engaged in any Christian activities during their visit to Iran. Elisa is the daughter of a well-known Iranian-Armenian pastor, Rafi Shahverdian, who passed away earlier in 2023, having led a church in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, since leaving Iran 30 years prior. Elisa recorded an emotional video message in support of her husband just before Christmas 2023, saying her time in Evin Prison were “the hardest days of my life”. “I still don’t know why they detained us,” Elisa said. “We are Christians and we did nothing illegal. “Christmas is near and our children ask me: ‘When is daddy coming home?’ I don’t know how to answer them.” In January 2024, Hakop was informed that he would face a court hearing on 7 January at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “propaganda against the state through the promotion of Christianity”. However, the hearing was postponed. But in February 2024, Hakop was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “engaging in deviant proselytising activity that contradicts the sacred law of Islam” through alleged membership and leadership of “a network of evangelical Christianity”. Hakop’s sentence was pronounced by the increasingly notorious judge of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, Iman Afshari, in a case that involved nine others. Four, including Hakop, received 10-year sentences; one received a two-year sentence; five were banned from leaving Iran and from living in Tehran and its neighbouring provinces for two years; and all 10 were fined a total of 500 million tomans (around $8,000) and deprived of rights such as membership of political or social groups. Many personal belongings were also confiscated, including cash, digital devices and even, unusually, some properties. However, according to an informed source, the conviction was based only on his possession of seven Persian-language New Testaments and visiting two Armenian churches and a Persian-language house-church while on holiday in Iran. Article 160 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code allows for judges to use their “personal intuition” when evidence is lacking, and Hakop’s lawyer argued that the judge in this case had been forced to use this provision, having found no other evidence against his client. In June 2024, Hakop was informed that his appeal had failed. Recommendations Article18 requests that the international community and Christians worldwide: Call for the immediate release of all Christians detained on charges related to the peaceful practice of their faith. Call for the swift application of due process in the cases of all who are detained and/or awaiting charges, trials, sentences or appeal hearings on account of their Christian faith and activities in Iran. Encourage Western countries to prioritise human rights in negotiations with Iran, especially freedom of religion or belief, and urge the government of Iran to recognise all minority-faith adherents, including converts to Christianity, as full citizens before the law, enjoying their full human rights. Call the international community to hold the Iranian government accountable for failing to uphold its international and constitutional commitments to protect the freedom of Christians in its territories. Closing churches, appropriating church property, arresting church leaders and threatening churchgoers are violations of freedom of religion or belief, as prescribed in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, without reservation, and therefore legally bound to uphold. Meanwhile, Article 13 of Iran’s Constitution states that Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are recognised religious minorities, who are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies. And Article 23 says “investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no-one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief”. Background Iran claims to provide religious freedom to its citizens, and frequently highlights its Armenian and Assyrian Christian minorities as examples of this alleged freedom. However, the sentencing of Hakop – as well as Iranian-Armenian pastor Anooshavan Avedian, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022 for leadership of a house-church – shows that any “freedom” comes with limitations: specifically the freedom to share one’s non-Muslim faith with others. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran has ratified without reservation, enshrines religious freedoms including to choose one’s own faith, to change that faith, and to share it with others. As a signatory to the covenant, Iran is obligated to provide these freedoms but consistently fails to do so. The late president, Ebrahim Raisi, was head of the judiciary in 2021 when, in an official response to UN experts who had highlighted the arrests of house-church members on “national security” charges, those arrested were referred to as “enemy groups” of a “Zionist cult”. Such labelling is an attempt to distinguish Christian converts, who are not recognised by the state, from the recognised Christians of Armenian and Assyrian descent, who are provided with a degree of freedom to worship, provided they do not proselytise. But there is no freedom whatsoever for any non-Armenian or Assyrian Iranian who wishes to practise Christianity, as they are prohibited from attending the services of Armenians and Assyrians, who are themselves prohibited from preaching in the national language of Persian – all to reduce the chance of conversions. As a result, converts, who far outnumber the ever-shrinking populations of Armenian and Assyrian Christians, have no place to worship and therefore meet together in their homes in what have become known as house-churches. But these house-churches, though no different to any other groups of Christians meeting together to pray and worship around the world, are outlawed and members are routinely arrested and imprisoned on “national security” charges.